UGC specifies 33 new allied and healthcare degrees under the NCAHP framework

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has notified the fifth amendment to its Specification of Degrees, covering degrees under the regulatory purview of NCAHP. It adds 33 new degrees, among them a four-year Bachelor of Psychology (B.Psy), and revises 21 existing entries.

What happened

The notification, No. F.21-12/2026(CPP-II) (UIN:3/2026), was issued under section 22(3) of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, with the approval of the Central Government. It amends UGC’s 5 July 2014 notification on the Specification of Degrees and comes into force on publication in the Official Gazette. The degrees are notified under the head "Medicine & Surgery / Ayurveda / Unani / Homeopathy / Allied & Healthcare / Pharmacy / Paramedical / Nursing".

Twenty-one existing entries are revised. The minimum duration of the Bachelor of Optometry rises from four to five years, and of the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy and Bachelor of Physiotherapy from four and a half to five years. Nine specialised Master of Occupational Therapy degrees and eight specialised Master of Physiotherapy degrees are listed, and universities offering the general MOT and MPT programmes are to restructure them accordingly.

The 33 new degrees span medical laboratory science, emergency medical technology, anaesthesia and operation theatre technology, nutrition and dietetics, radiology and imaging, radiation therapy, nuclear medicine, medical physics, physician associates, dialysis, respiratory technology and health information management. In the behavioural health group, the notification lists the Bachelor of Psychology (B.Psy, four years, entry after 10+2), the Bachelor of Medical and Psychiatric Social Work (B.MPSW, four years), the Master of Medical Social Work (M.MSW, two years) and the Master of Psychiatric Social Work (M.PSW, two years).

Why it matters

The Specification of Degrees fixes the titles, levels and minimum durations that universities may award. This amendment brings those titles into line with the NCAHP framework, and the same four-year B.Psy appears as a recognised qualification in the NCAHP registration regulations notified days later.

The notification lists degrees and their minimum requirements. It contains no transitional provisions for students already enrolled in other psychology programmes, so students and universities should look to NCAHP’s regulations and letters, and to their own university, for how existing programmes are treated.

Source

• University Grants Commission (published by NCAHP)Specification of Degrees, fifth amendment, notification dated 27 August 2026